Vending-machine.



PATIENTBD s511129, 190s.

C. A. BREWER'. VENDING MACHINE. APPLIOATIONLPILED Dm. 23, 1901.

Y2 SHEETS-SHEET N0 MODEL.

WHA/55555 j' ATTORNEYS y '11H5 Nomus PETERS co. wnu'ruLlTHo.. wAsNlNcrcm. u. c.

No. 739,979. PATENTED SEPT. 29, 1903. c. A. EEEWEE.

VENDING MACHINE. APPLIQATION EILED DEqI 2a. 1901.

F0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L L E ATTO/wem CHARLES A. BREWER,

vENDlNefMAcl-HNE.

rammed september 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,979, dated September 29, 1903. Application filed DecemberZS, 1991. Serial No. 86,959. (No medal.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern/.-

. a citizen of the United States, residing in the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. of the coin mechanism, showing the reverse Chicago, in the county of Cook and VState of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Vending.- Machinesyof which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to the coin-controlled mechanism ofV vending-machines, and is a The nature of thepresent invention is fully f set forth below and is also illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which'latter- Figure 1 is a partial vertical section of a vending-machine having my present improvements embodied in it. Fig. 2 is a section on Fig. 3 is an elevation of the side given in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan of said mechanism. Fig. 5 is a front view. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. l.

In said drawings, 8 8V represent portions of the casing of the vending-machine', and 9 isv an inclined metal plate forming the'frame of the coin mechanism and supported in an inclined positionby a topl horizontal flange 11, adapted to be secured to the top ,or plate 12, in which is formed the slot'or mouth 13 of the coin-chute.

The coin entering. -at 13 falls onto the inclined spring-rail :14, arranged edge uppermost along the bottom of the chute, which is formed between plate 9 and plate 22. This rail is fast at its upper end to the frame-plate, as at 15, and its lower end is forced and bent down and inward, so that its point will ride upward on the incline l16, formed on the plunger 17 and so that when the plunger is pushed in to release the merchandise soldthe incline' will force the lower end of the rail laterally, and thus allow any coin which may have been too thin and may have entered the narrow opening between the rail and the frame-plate l or which may then be resting on therail to drop Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BREWER,

out instead of continuing along the rail until it falls into its operative position. (Shown at 18 in Fig. 1). The plunger is permitted both partial and full strokes, as will be understood later on, and the rail is thus opened at the partial as well as the full strokes of the plunger.

The plate-frameis cut out, as shown at 19, back of the rail 14, so that coins which are too through the opening before it reaches the operative point. The inclination of the plate the top of the opening, it is sure posed of in this way.

If the coin is made of spurious metal, but of the proper size, it is attracted by the magnet 20, attached to the free end of a iiat spring 21, attached to a plate 22, secured to the plateframe by screws 23, 24, and 25, the latter also securing spring 21. The plate-frame at the points where the screws are located is provided with bosses adapted to form anopen space between'the frame and the plate 22 sufficient for the passage of the coin between them. The plate 22 forms a sidewall to the chute for a portion of the latters length and with right on the rail 14. The magnet does ynot come in contact with the coin, but acts thereon through the plate 22, which is non-magnetic, and is cutout, as at 26, opposite the magnet, the opening being smaller than the coin. While the magnet is thus enabled to attract the coin, it is compelled at each actuation of the plunger to move laterally of the chute and away from the plate 22 bya projection 27 on an arm 28carried by the merchandise-releas ing device 29, secured to the inner end of the plunger, said projection 27 encountering an incline 30 on the magnet. This movement 'of the magnet is sufficient to cause the release of the coin by it, and the coin then fallsfrom the chute instead ofk continuing on its course to the position 1S, the rail being deiiedted so that it will notsupport the coin. at the time the magnet is thus'moved from its operative position. All the coins thusprevent'fd `from reaching their operative position, inluding those intercepted by the rail, by the siwre opensmall in diameter may drop out of the chute predisposes the coin to take this course, and 'i if it is so small that its top does not engage to be dis` the frame on the other side keeps the coin up- ICO . ing devices.

ing in the chute and by the magnet fall into the open space 3l, having an inclined side 32 and connecting by the passage 33 with the front opening 34, where all the merchandise packages are delivered and rendered accessible to the purchasers. In this manner any would-be patron of the machine is enabled to recover any coin inserted by him which may be defective in any way, and the coin is returned to him at the same opening through which he expects to receive the merchandise and which he is almost sure to inspect, and 11e is thus prevented from overlooking the returned coin. This may be a matter of small moment with people who try to defraud the machine by inserting spurious coins and imitations of coins; but it frequently happens that coins having real value are inserted through carelessness or ignorance, and this feature of the machine makes it reasonably certain that the person depositing any such coin will receive it back.

The plunger works in a slot in the plateframe and is confined therein by the flatheaded screws 35,-securcd to the plunger and extending through slots 3G in the frame. A spring 37 retracts the plunger after each operation. A vertical opening or recess 3S is formed in the plunger between its body and the supplemental piece 39 ,which is attached to it and in which the incline 16 is formed, and this recess receives any coin from the rail 14 which may succeed in passing the detect- A Hoor for the recess is shown at 40 and may be integral with the plate-frame, and a coin 18 is shown in the recess at Fig. 1.

The plunger on its upper surface is pro- 1. vided with two shoulders 41 and 42, adapted to be engaged by the dog or stop 43, stationarily pivoted at 44 and retained in acting position by a spring 45. lVhen the plunger is forced inward in the absence of any coin in the recess, it can only make a partial stroke, being arrested when the stop encounters the first shoulder 41, and this partial stroke is not sufficient to secure the release of any merchandise. It is sufficient, however, to open the rail 14 and to swing the magnet so that any coin caught by either will be released and allowed to fall into the deliveryopening 34. If a proper coin is in the recess at the time of pushing the plunger, as in Fig.

, l, the stop will be lifted by the coin suiiiciently to clear both shoulders 41 and 42 and allow the plunger to be moved its full stroke.

On the return of the plunger the stop, being no longer held up by the coin, will ride on the shoulders in readiness to engage themin case of attempt to defraud the machine by permitting the plunger to return a part of the way only aftera full stroke. The second shoulder 42 is employed merely for the purpose of preventing this kind of robbery, and it is preferably somewhat higher than shoulder 41. The portion of the stop which rides on the coir is rounded oif more than the' part which engages the shoulders and also entends more downward.

In order that the coin may raise the stop easily and without unnecessary friction and without cat-ching or indenting itself in the coin, also in order that any coin, spurious or genuine, which reaches the acting position in the machine and which is less in diameter than the proper coin may nevertheless lift the stop sufficiently to clear the shoulders 41 and 42, and thus prevent the clogging which would otherwise occur, because any coin in that positionl which does not operate the stop cannot be dislodged, will prevent the entrance of subsequently-deposited coins. The part of the stop here referred to is best shown at Figs. 1 and (5.

The merchandise magazine or receptacle is shown at 46, and in it are shown several packages 47 and a weight 48 for feeding them down onto the supports 4S), of which only one is shown, at the bottom of the magazine. The lowest package, it will be noticed, is positioned below the plane of the back wall of the magazine, also below the top of the merchandise releasing device 29, so that when the plunger is given a full stroke the bottom package will be pushed out of the magazine and into the inclined passage or chute 50, which conducts it to the delivery-opening 34, already mentioned.

The coins which unlock the machine are carried by the plunger beyond a clip 51, adj ustably secured to the bottom of the frame, and are free to drop into the money-receptacle 52 as soon as they have passed said clip. The clip forms a continuation of the floor 40 and enables me to regulate the time of the release of the coin. By moving it toward the front of the machine it allows the coin to escape earlier, and by moving it back it delays the coins escape. This adjustability is important, as it enables me to gage the escape of the coin by the release of the merchandise, so that one may not take place too far in advance of the other.

As a further safeguard against fraud, I employ a coin-latch 53. It is a swinging looselypivoted device hanging down in the coinchute, where it will be encountered by all the coin. Its primary object is to break up the momentum acquired by the coin in dropping from the mouth 13, so that if the coin is amenable to any of the detecting devices employed in the machine it will not be able to move past those devices so quickly as to escape their action. The latch is light, so that it yields to and allows coins of the proper weight to pass on to the plunger and'then quickly gravitates back to its normal position; but it may arrest solne of the coins, and if it does any such will be discharged into opening 34 by the movement imparted to rail 14 when the intending purchaser gives the partial stroke to the plunger.

It is not desirable that any coin or imitamagnet acts, and also havinga movable bottion should enter the slot in the bottom of the chute so near the fastening-screw 15 as to render doubtful the release of any such coin when the rail is sprung laterally, and to avoid this l close they upper part of the slot by a narrow strip 54 of metal. V y

55 is a device placed in the upper part of the chute and in the rear of the retarder and acts to stop the inward movement of the coinv l. The combination in a coin-controlled-machine, of a coin-chute having a bottom formed by a spring-rail adapted `to be bent laterally,`

a magnet normally position ed against the stationary side wall of the chute and opposite an opening smaller than the coin, and located near the receiving end of the chute, and means for moving the magnet back from the opening and opening the bottom of the chute, substantially as specied.

2. The combination in a coin-controlled machine, of a coin-chute having an opening smaller than the coin in its stationary side wall, ajnagnet normallypositioned at said opening, a spring carrying said magnet and yielding in a horizontal direction, and a merchandise-delivery device having an incline acting to deiiect said spring, substantially as speciiied.

3. The combination in a coin-controlledima chine, of a coin-chute having an opening smaller than the coin in its stationary side wall at its receiving end throughiwhich the tom adapted to open and discharge any coin arrested, at said side opening, a magnet norand a merchandise-delivering device connected to and also moving the magnet, and also causing the opening of the bottom of the chute, substantially as specified.

4L. The coin-controlled machine wherein are combined a laterally-inclined coin-chute, having an opening smaller than the coin in its upper and stationary side through which a magnet may arrest spurious coins, and also having a dischargeopening in its under side through which small coins may tip out, a magnet at said upper opening, a longitudinal spring-rail in the bottom of the chute, and a delivery-slide having an incline acting both to deflect said rail and to move said magnet (Elway from the chute, substantially as'speci- 5.. The coin-controlled machine-wherein are combined a coin chute having an opening smaller than the coin in its side wall near the f means vfor moving the magnet laterally of the f chute and thus destroying its hold on any arrested coin, substantially as specified.

6. The combination with the coin-chute and the coin-detecting devices thereof, of a latch in the top of the chute acting to break the momentum of the coin and to arrest it if light in weight, a laterally-movable spring-rail in the bottom of the chute below the latch and means other than the coin for moving the rail to release any coin arrested by the latch, substantially as specified.

7. The combination in a coin chute of a gravitating latch 53 freely hung in the top'of the chute and acting to arrest light-weight 1 coins, a movable bottom for the chute below the latch, and means other than the coin'ior opening said bottom to allow the arrested coin to drop out, substantially a's specified.

. CHARLES A. BREWER.

Witnesses: f

Enw. S. EvARTs, H. M. MUNDAY. 

